Just Give Me a Reason
by Magical-Marvel-Mr.Mistoffelees
Summary: The worst thing about being mates with someone is when you can't sleep, yet they can when it is all too obvious your mateship is falling apart. How do you fix something that is so bent, it's about to break? How do you know if your mate still loves you? What if he acts like he doesn't? Why isn't he loving anymore? Why is your mateship failing? Just give me a reason!


**A/N: Yes. I am still breathing and still alive, for those who missed me or cared. Yes, I do know I have many stories to update. Yes, I do realize this oneshot counts as a story. A new one, too. Which isn't any of the others. **

**I had to, though! This idea has been bothering me for 2 months and I had to try it! What am I going on about? Let me explain. I love the P!nk and Nate Reuss cover of "Just Give Me A Reason," and I wanted to use a Jellicle couple for it. Bomba and Tugger where in the running, but these two beat them to the quick. I also wanted to try and turn lyrics into dialogue, as if the conversation birthed the idea of the song. Crazy, I know. Did you honestly think a fanfic writer would be sane? ;) I think it works out rather nicely and it was a fun challenge. i recommend it to anyone who adores a song and wants to test their writing and adapting abilities.**

**I also hope you enjoy this onsey and I know it is quite an extensive bit. My style has changed, as well as my author's notes. Hopefully, I will take up less of your time in the future, but I have missed you all!**

**So without further ado, please read, review and favourite or alert to your hearts content. You all are awesome! And a big shout out to my idea reviewer! You know who you are! XD**

**Disclaimer: Song to it's rightful copyright, owners and the like. CATS to their respective owners and the like. Author to corner of shame and pinning.**

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Victoria, the alabaster queen of the Jellicle junkyard, was about to loose her mind to sheer jealousy. The only problem was, she had no Earthly idea who she was jealous of or if her feelings were even founded in reality. Her mate, the famed tuxedo cat Mr. Mistoffelees, slept soundly beside her in the bed, snuggled amongst the sheets in a very endearing fashion that he was clearly unaware of. He was, however, sleeping a half-a-tail's length away from her, which disappointed and hurt her greatly. There seemed to be some growing chasm betwixt them, something about their relationship that she couldn't fix. He never slept closely to her anymore.

The worst part of it all was that they were on vacation, away from Mistoffelees' work as well as the spying eyes of other Jellicles. Bustopher Jones, Mistoffelees' uncle, had offered to fund their stay. He was good friends with the Russel Hotel's owner, for that was the name of their current stay, and the Cat About Town enjoyed the benefits of that relationship quite often. Mistoffelees had needed a long stay away from the stage and Bustopher had suggested they stay at his friend's hotel. Before they refused, he assured them he wasn't even interested in staying there for some time. They had earned a rest, he said. They had been residing there for a grand total of three nights, and two days. Yet, they hadn't been as cuddly or loving as mates away should have been. In fact, Misto seemed entirely disinterested in her and that worried Victoria greatly, especially during the night.

In the darkness as she lay awake she could hear him talk in his sleep, speaking words of such love and adoration it could have turned her very fur green. He never said those things to her, not once in their entire relationship. He sounded very playful and seemed to be quite attracted to whoever he was dreaming of. Flirtatious was never a word she chose to describe him, and yet, there he was giggling and muttering as he nuzzled over his pillow in a very longing way. Such an action created a lonesome wanting in her heart and she wished with utter agony that he was dreaming of her. He couldn't have been, for he wasn't whispering her name dreamily like he once had. She had, in all honesty, caught him at that _only_ once. That was at their very first night after their mateship ceremony. Things had changed since then.

For a good while, she lay there in the darkness, watching over him with a mixed look of suffering torment and blinding jealousy. She deeply desired for him to touch her, just once and utter one simple, "I love you." She wanted nothing more than that. Instead, she received the sight of him kissing his pillow very passionately. That was what made her decide to draw the line and caused her blood to boil. She couldn't bear to watch any longer!

She quickly sat up in the bed and clicked on one of the lights in their hotel room only to be greeted with a very long groan as the Conjuring Cat was jostled from his sleep by her forcefully shaking him awake.

"I need to talk to you, wake up," she told him, not unlike a stone wall.

Slowly, the chocolate brown eyes she had once gazed into with such a connection that was now lost opened up to her and became focused. Once Mistoffelees realized that she had woken him, his brows furrowed in a puzzled and annoyed expression. He quickly cast a glance to the clock to see the time was 2 o'clock in the morning. Then he returned his gaze and gave her a look that clearly read that he thought she was lacking sanity.

"Wha' is it?" he questioned her slowly and groggily, propping himself up with an elbow and looking her up and down as if to read her intentions, "Is there something you want?"

"Yes," she answered back with passion, "There is something I want. I want to talk to you about this current situation,"

"What current situa-?" the tom began to ask, but quickly cut himself short once she held up a paw in a wish for silence.

She took a deep breath, readying herself for what she was about to say. This problem had been going on for quite a few months, and she wanted it to be ended. Even if that meant that she had to let him go, though it would tear her apart to do so. She never wanted to keep him from happiness, or from pursuing what he wanted. Even if that meant he no longer wanted her.

"Right from the start, you were a thief. You stole my heart," she began, recalling the very beginning of their relationship and what a wonderful thing it was, "And I, your willing victim, I let you see the parts of me that weren't all that pretty. And, with every touch, you fixed them,"

The tom merely cocked his head to the side, but did not respond any further. He decided to listen until it proved the right time to respond. This, so far, did not seem like a discussion of any current situation. His mind was beginning to become boggled. The fact that it was so early in the morning and he had just woken up aided him not in this matter.

"Now," she continued, getting to the point, "You've been talking in your sleep. Things you _never_ say to me. T-Tell me that you've had enough of our love, our...love,"

Mistoffelees' eyes widened at this, his jaw dropping slightly, and he had no idea of what she was going on about. She must have been running over these thoughts, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for a problem that simply didn't exist. What sorts of things had he been saying in his sleep to spark such a conversation as this?

"Just, give me a reason!" Victoria implored, finally meeting his gaze for the first time since she had spoken, "Just a little bit's enough-"

She trailed off as he opened his mouth to speak and silenced him with a raised paw once more. If he spoke now, she would loose her track of thought and she wasn't quite willing to do that just yet. She had many things and feelings she wanted to divulge, first.

"Just a second," she told him, asking for a little more time to finish her thoughts, "We're not broken. Just... bent, and we could learn to love again! It's in the stars! It's been written in the scars on our hearts. We're _not_ broken, just bent and we can learn to love again!"

That said, she closed her mouth and looked to him, awaiting a response. For a moment, he sat there staring at the sheets as he tried to form some sort of reply. He had to assure her that it was okay. At least, he had thought it was.

"I'm... sorry," he finally said, shaking his head slowly in confusion, "I don't understand where all of _this_ is coming from! I thought that we were fine!"

"Oh, we had everything," she muttered remorsefully, closing her eyes against oncoming tears.

He gave a little mirthless scoff, but continued with a reply. Clearly, her mind had run away with all kinds of speculations that simply weren't true.

"You're head is running wild again," he stated as he recalled some of her previous assumptions about him, looking her in the eye as his tired brain tried to come up with a coherent response though all it wanted to do was dream once more, "My dear we still have everything! And it's all in your mind,"

"Yeah but," she mumbled, not entirely comforted by his words, "This is happenin',"

Mistoffelees outwardly groaned and rubbed his frustrated paws over his tired eyes, wondering what could have caused her to think such things. It couldn't have been his sleep talk. Was it an overheard rumour? Someone elses' stated opinion of their relationship? A nightmare possibly? Yes! That seemed to be a plausible answer. A nightmare could cause such unfounded fear!

"You've been havin' real bad dreams," he told her, settling down to sleep once more, entirely unaware of how ungrammatically he had spoken due to his exhausted state; he could hardly keep the sleepy slur out of his voice as he closed his eyes, "You still lie so close to me. There's nothing more than empty sheets between our love... our... love..."

He was ready to sleep once more and thought she would take the hint. In his mind, the solution had been found and they could go back to resting. Victoria, however, didn't see it that way. She saw it as his avoiding the subject and hiding the truth from her. She was about ready to cry.

"Just give me a reason!" she pleaded, shaking him once more to keep him from sleep, "Just a little bit's enough!"

He moaned, but made no effort to be awakened. In fact, he fought it as much as he could. She felt she was loosing him and she couldn't stand for it anymore. She just wanted answers. She would let him sleep once she had them. Though, she could hardly keep from wondering if it would be their last night together.

"Just a second!" she begged him through misting eyes, and shook him all the more violently which caused the annoyed tuxedo to sit up angrily, fully awakened by this time, "We're not broken! Just bent! And, we _can_ learn to love again-"

"I never stopped!" he exclaimed exasperatedly, being entirely over with this conversation and the accusations she was giving, "You're still written in the scars on my heart! _You're_ not broken, just bent and we _can_ learn to love again!"

His anger caused her to shy away a bit, and he couldn't help but wince a tad in his regret. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but she was being entirely ridiculous! He was still clueless as to what she was continuing on about!

A singular crystalline tear made a slow trek down her cheek and she hung her head in defeat. She was fighting a loosing battle, she could tell. She finally gave into crying, unable to do anything else at this point. She couldn't believe she had pushed him to the point of anger. It seemed that she was always causing him some form of irritation. No wonder he was gallivanting off with another queen.

Mistoffelees sat for a few moments, merely watching her as she cried. He was still miffed at this whole event and couldn't help but glare a bit. He wasn't sure of her point and what she was trying to get at. Worst of all, this entire conversation, if you could call it such, was giving him a rather nasty headache. Too many thoughts and feelings far to early in the morning. What was she crying for? Really, this was truly ridiculous!

"Our tear ducts can rust," she replied rather almost inaudibly and dismally after sobbing bitterly for a few minutes, hinting at just how much he had made her cry over these circumstances.

Mistoffelees features softened , as did his heart, and he placed a paw underneath her chin, tilting it up with a finger in order for her to look up to him. He stroked a tear away, giving her a soft and sad smile. He regretted his thoughts and previous mood almost instantaneously. He hadn't known how badly she was hurting because of this. She had put on such a string and indifferent front.

"I'll fix it for us," he whispered softly, gazing over her lovingly.

She laughed gently, somehow amused by that kind of response. Why hadn't he fixed it before? It had been obvious to her that they had a problem and, in a way, she wished to express that. They were aging, kitless, and this still wasn't solved between them.

"We're collecting dust," she sighed as she thought of how long they had been together and mused aloud, "But, our love's enough,"

He sighed exasperatedly, returning to his annoyed mindset yet again, and slipped out of the bed, walking over to the bar that was built into the room. It wasn't _that_ long since he had touched her. Their love wasn't _that_ unused! He quickly grabbed a glass, set it upon the counter and began to muss around with the cabinetry while Victoria sat there, stunned beyond words and entirely a gawk. Her mate didn't drink! At least, she thought he hadn't. Perhaps, she was wrong about that too.

Mistoffelees went about his business, back turned to his mate. She didn't have to point out the fact that they weren't getting any younger, he thought testily. They had, in truth, been together for quite some time, as far as cats went. Usually, mates would have kits in the first two or three months. They had been together for six and he wasn't too keen on admitting he had failed in that regard, even to himself. There _was_ still time for all that!

He could feel her eyes boring into his back and gave an exasperated sigh. There was once a time where she would have shared her thoughts and emotions outright. Did she have to withhold everything from him, only to unleash it after six entire months?

"You're holding it in," Mistoffelees told his mate flatly as he felt, rather than saw, all of the emotions he knew she wasn't letting out.

"You're pouring a drink!" she exclaimed, pointing at the glass in question as he turned to face her once more.

His testiness and anger quickly evaporated at that and he had to restrain himself from experiencing a laughing fit. She truly was so funny at times.

"No!" he laughed and shook his head, rather humoured by her expression as he returned to the bed and extended the glass of _water_ for her to inspect, dropping in two fizzing aspirins for the headache he had started to experience.

Victoria sniffed the glass thoroughly, looked to Mistoffelees with a questioning brow arched, tasted the beverage and confirmed that it simply was water. Though, now, it was medicinally enhanced water. During her examination, her mate watched her with a bemused half-smile, perfectly patient and at ease with her testing his word. He knew she had to test it for herself or else she would not be satisfied. He found it rather adorable she was keeping him in check. It had been so long since she showed such concern for his habits and welfare. His heart felt a slight tug of hurt as he realized he had missed her doing so.

"Nothing is as bad as it seems," he told her gently with a small and brief smile, taking a long drink from his glass.

She knew he was referring to him going to the bar, but she couldn't help but feel he was talking about their relationship as well. She absently watched him guzzle down his beverage, thinking over all he had said. Her heart was strung in two different directions. She wasn't sure if he was being genuine or if he was just trying to appease her. Her feelings were far too powerful for her to think clearly and she knew it would not be wise until they talked through the whole matter. It was time to fully confess all she had noticed and felt to him. There was no use holding it in any longer and he had been right in calling her out on that point.

"We'll come clean," she stated simply and softly, determined to fight for the mateship she had almost given up on.

At the beginning of this entire conversation, she had been willing to let him go, or so she had thought. However, as she looked over him so intently, she couldn't help but recall how much she truly adored him. He was her other half, for better or for worse. How had she forgotten all of the wonderful times they had shared? Had she been so blinded by such horrid circumstances or was she trying to steel herself against getting hurt further by him? Whatever was the cause, it was high time Misto knew all.

As she thought over these things, Mistoffelees felt hot under her gaze for several reasons. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, and that did unnerve him, but it had also been so long since she had truly looked him over. He missed how much she used to watch him, simply because she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. That was when they had been blindingly in love. He wasn't sure what had happened along the way, but he knew he still loved her, even more than his own life. He turned from her searching gaze to place his cup upon the nightstand, trying to avoid that look he could feel upon him. He had some feelings to sift through and his headache wasn't helping. He hoped this medicine was as fast acting as it bragged. The worst part of his feelings was that she looked so beautiful this night. The singular lamp she had turned on gave her an ethereal glow and the moonlight that fell through the slit in the curtain only aided in her surreal beauty. His heart was burning with a desire, one that it hadn't felt in so long. He had so much love he wanted to share with her. He had missed being so close to her. Work had kept him from her for far too long.

"What's on your mind, Tor?" he asked softly, his eyes meeting with her gaze, "I can't promise that I will fully comprehend what you say. I can be so intelligently dense, as you've always said. Besides, this headache isn't all that peachy, either,"

"I'll try to make this simple," she spoke with a nod, accepting his words, "Especially for your poor head. I don't mean to tell you all these things at such a late hour, but I can't take it anymore! I-I feel as if you don't love me anymore!"

His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Must this conversation follow the same patter as a roundabout? He had just stated how he felt moments ago! This was utterly silly!

"But, you _know_ I do. I said so just a bit ago," he pointed out rather exasperatedly and with a heavy sigh, before continuing on, "I don't know what else you want me to say,"

She shook her head with a sigh. He was getting defensive, which she could _easily_ detect, and she knew he would never hear her if he become entirely so. She wanted him to be open and accepting in order to repair this. That way, they could both give and take in the conversation.

"It's not what you say," she spoke softly, placing a paw upon his for the first time in ages, which immediately caused his eyes to meet hers, "It's the actions that worry me. It's when you come home and head straight to bed, even without dinner. It's how you've stopped telling me you love me and how you don't give me silly little gifts anymore. It's that you've had seventeen assistants, all females, at work and each and every one has quit! Why have you had so many? Why did they quit? It's a good paying job, why would they suddenly up and quit-"

"Wait a second," he interrupted her, holding up a paw and closing his eyes as he took all of that in for a moment before returning his gaze to her, "Are you accusing me of cheating on you?"

She withdrew her gaze and her paw, placing it upon her lap. How else could she have brought this up? It was so hard to speak of this! This was going to hurt him, she could already tell. How she wished she could phrase it all differently.

"All of the signs are there, Mistoffelees," she answered him softly, her eyes focused upon the sheets.

That took him entirely by surprise. All too suddenly, he found it very difficult to breathe, almost as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. His mate was reading something into his actions that simply wasn't true, but he was entirely hurt that she had gone to such an extreme assumption. She honestly didn't trust him enough to fully believe he was faithful. That desire he had been struggling with quickly vanished and was replaced by a want to cry. The last time he had ever cried was at their Mateship Ceremony. That, however, was because he was so happy he couldn't bear to hold it in. This, however, was the ultimate crushing blow. How had his mateship become like this?

"V-Victoria," he whispered, searching her eyes to try and connect with her, his breathing laboured and the tears brimming in his eyes, "I could never be unfaithful with you. I-I love you too much! I could never, ever-"

"Than who were you dreaming of?" she asked with her teeth gritted.

The poor confused tom placed a paw to his doubley aching forehead and closed his eyes, trying to comprehend what was going on. This was so much to take so early in the morning? Or was it, rather, late at night? He couldn't tell!

"When?" was all he could ask, keeping his eyes tightly shut as he gently rubbed his forehead.

"Before I woke you tonight," she explained exasperatedly, misinterpreting his behaviour as avoiding the subject and playing innocent, "You were cooing and giggling. Giggling. You don't giggle. You were absolutely infatuated and enamored with this dream queen, you were even snogging the pillow! You love her, don't you?"

"Yes," he admitted defeatedly, slowly opening his eyes and concentrating his gaze upon the sheets, "I do,"

"Who is she?" she almost screamed, so angry and upset though she could hardly explain why, "Because you were flirting with her like nobody's business!"

He looked up into her eyes for a few long beats, tying to ascertain how he should go about this. This had obviously been coming to a head, he just hadn't caught any of the signs. This had bothered her for sometime now, and he was starting to feel like a failure.

"My mate," he replied simply, his jaw set against tears and breaking down.

With that, he withdrew his eye contact from her and a pair of tears trickled down his cheeks. He wasn't sure what he had done to compromise her trust, but it was clear he had to gain it back. If only he had been wise enough to catch her suspicions and quell them. If only he hadn't been so busy with stage shows! He would have been showing her, in no uncertain terms, that there was no need for him to betray her so horribly. His heart was broken.

Victoria's gaze fell as well and she felt incredibly mortified. She had decided that he was being unfaithful over what? A lack of interaction, or gifts or a simple phrase? She had crushed him for nothing! She put her paws over her mouth for a moment, unsure of what she should do. Finally, she scooted to him very hesitantly, feeling guiltier than she ever had in the entirety of her life.

"You were dreaming of me?" she asked quietly, the flattery apparent in her voice, and continued once she received a very melancholy nod, "Why didn't you say so before?"

"I was ashamed to," he admitted, more tears falling down his handsome features, "How was I supposed to tell you that I was dreaming of you in such a way as I was? I know this distance is partly my fault, and I'm so ashamed to admit it. I just didn't see this rift until now. I couldn't tell you what I was dreaming of. I wasn't sure if you'd be flattered or disgusted,"

"Why would your love disgust me?" she asked quietly, sidling up next to him, "I still love you, you know,"

"Y-you do?" he asked softly, his sad brown eyes meeting her concerned blue ones.

"Of course I do. Why would I be so jealous of the dream me you were kissing? I thought you had stopped loving me Misto and that you had found someone to better suit you,"

"You suit me the best," he replied gently, "I could never possibly stop loving you. I'm just so upset and irritated with myself for letting you suffer with these feelings for so long! I was too busy to notice that you weren't receiving what you needed to! I was too concerned with providing for you to give you what you truly need. I feel so stupid!"

She placed her paws upon his thigh which was closest to her so her gaze was almost level with his. She tried to wipe some of his tears away, though more quickly took their place. She had cut him too deeply. How could she repair this? He was too ashamed to look her in the eye!

"You're not stupid," she cooed, stroking a paw down his cheek, which he quickly leaned into, "I'm the one who thought you were flirting with other queens and wooing them. I know you better than that! It's just that, you never say you love me anymore. And you never say some of the things you mumbled in your sleep. You've never, ever, called me 'foxy,' 'irresistible' or 'my one and only,'"

He blushed and batted a paw over his ear. He wasn't sure why, but he felt sheepish for what he had unconsciously been muttering. He kept her in the highest regard and though he thought all of those things on numerous occasions, he kept his lips sealed. He didn't want to affront her, he wanted to please her. Somehow, he thought some of those terms might be deemed as demeaning and unappealing.

"I've thought it, though," he replied almost incoherently, "At several times,"

She blushed and fell silent, stroking a paw over his leg. That was the most flattering bit of news she had received all evening long. Though she was turned from him, he could tell that she rather liked his last admittance. He knew he needed to work on his words, however, seeing as she kept them in such high esteem. Had he at least told her once a night that he loved her, they wouldn't have been in this situation.

He gazed over her for a few moments, sniffing against his tears and enjoying their proximity, one he had craved for so long. He wrapped an arm behind her back and softly pulled her into his lap. He wasted no time in nuzzling his cheek over her head and giving a crackled and melancholy purr.

"I've missed you," he whispered into her ear, "In so many more ways than one,"

"I've missed you too terribly much," she replied, tears making their way to her eyes and quickly brimming onto her cheeks.

"I'm going to fix that, right now," he breathed.

With that said, he gently, and with the utmost care, pulled her into a kiss. He hadn't realized how long it had been since they had shared in one of these until their lips met. He was, admittedly, a little rusty at this, yet he could feel the queen in his arms melt. He knew this was one of the most important moments in his whole mateship. He had his entire self to prove to her and he had to display his love. He knew half the cause of her doubt was his lack of touch, and she knew him better than anyone. His greatest show of love, remarkably, was touch. That, coupled with encouraging words and time spent together made him a rather cuddly sort of tom. By his being so wholly wrapped up into his work and craft, he had forgotten to show her these types of things. Therefore, she read into that behaviour as a lack of love and interest. As they were entwined in a kiss, however, he wondered how he could have possibly gone so long without this. He had missed it so much! He felt more connected to her very soul than he had in a long time. It felt good to explore the feelings in her heart after such an extended hiatus.

All too suddenly, he was pulled from these thoughts and reveries by her withdrawing from him. She lay her head upon his ruffled chest and sighed, trying to catch her breathe. She had forgotten how much she had missed his kiss. He, himself, sighed as well, but it was more out of disappointment. He wasn't even half done with her. Mistoffelees wasn't going to force her to him, though, so he lay his chin upon her head. How had he forgotten how snugly she fit into him? They fit together like a glove and a paw, a tuxedo and a cummerbund, or a hat and a rabbit. They made sense together, more so than most things in his life had been. He wrapped his paws about her and held her close, afraid to let her go for fear of her suddenly disappearing. He realized how close they had come to ending their relationship and now that his medicine had taken its effect, this idea hit him so suddenly. She had almost left him! The only cat who truly understood him and cared enough to take part in his life had nearly withdrawn from it! He wasn't going to be so careless again.

"Why did all seventeen of those queens leave, Stoff?" his mate asked out of sudden curiosity, pulling him once more from his thoughts.

"Hmm?" he asked and moved to look into her eyes before he comprehended what she was asking, "Oh, you mean all of my assistants,"

"Yes, those," she replied, trying to keep the disdain out of the word those, though she could clearly see he caught that subtle hint, "Why would seventeen queens leave work? You weren't flirting with them, were you?"

"Would you believe me if I said that some were with me and I told them I wasn't comfortable with that?" he asked softly, rubbing the back of his paw over her cheek in such a way that she couldn't help but smile, "But, most of them were sick and tired of working with me. They all complained to Bustopher and said that I was too difficult to work with,"

"You?" she couldn't help but scoff and hesitantly started to run her claws through his bib, "Difficult to work with? You may want everything to be flawless, but stage magic takes that kind of dedication. If anything, it's an enjoyable thing to work with you because you are so gentlemanly about it and so sweet. You make magic easy,"

He cleared his throat and avoided her gaze for a moment, trying to clear his head from some thoughts that made him blush. He was an easy flatter and he hated that so much. She knew exactly what to say when, although she probably wasn't following his current thought patterns. He closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. Oh, why did she have to be so lovely and unwittingly alluring, even so early in the morning?

"I wasn't _that_ easy to work with," he admitted once he had composed himself, "In fact, I had to correct them all on their cues and I explained how you and I have practiced every trick. Eventually they would say, 'Well, why don't you ask your mate to do it?!' and storm off. Didn't even have a reason to,"

"It's not fair to compare them to me, baby!" she laughed, shaking her head in her mirth, "They can't know the in's and out's of every trick like I do. You can't reveal those secrets... Misto? Are you okay?"

She was stuck with the idea that he had, in the end, simply wanted to work with her, but once she met his gaze she was confused. His look was a mixture of touched softness and surprise. She doubted that he had even been listening.

"You called me baby," he explained with an embarrassed little smirk, and he began to fiddle with his claws so he could avoid her gaze, "You haven't called me baby in months. I-I missed it,"

Her gaze softened and she placed a paw upon his cheek, stroking it with her thumb. She finally understood that he had been suffering just as much as she had, but he was better than she was at finding things to distract him from it. She had had far more time to sit and wonder what had happened. Now she saw that it wasn't just on him. He probably would have been willing to cuddle with her if she had only asked. She determined to ask him in the future what was happening and what was going on before she ever assumed that he had stopped loving her. It was simply being too involved in work and returning home far too exhausted to even try snuggling. That she could work with. Especially since they had two weeks to fix their fractured relationship. He wasn't going back to work anytime soon.

"I'm sorry Misto, truly," she whispered softly, leaning forward to kiss his nose, "I was just so afraid of loosing your love that I forgot to pursue it. Stupid, huh?"

"Not as stupid as my leaving you high and dry and pleading for love," he answered back sincerely, "I'm amazed you didn't find anyone better. I failed you, as far as husbands go, and all I can do is promise that it won't happen again,"

"That's all I want," she purred, licking up the bridge of his nose and causing him to snort in mock disapproval, "I want no other tom but you. You're all I have, but all I need as well. No one could replace you. You are one of a kind,"

As gratitude for such a compliment, he gave her a quick and full kiss, letting himself linger for a bit before he parted from her. He was starting to recall the ropes and he hoped she would be receptive.

"You are my perfect match. Not perfect in the sense that you never do anything wrong, just suited to me like no other cat could be. I love you so much," he purred, trailing the back of his paw over her cheek and down the side of her neck.

Victoria was so flattered and humbled to hear him say such a thing! Her azure eyes searched his soft brown ones for a moment and they began to mist. She pressed herself against his chest and flung her arms about him all at once, grabbing his black back fur tightly in her paws as her lip began to tremble. She did what many queens would have done after coming to such a reconciliation, having him complimenting her as well as coming so close to loosing him. She began to sob uncontrollably.

After going through such a turbulent season with him, it was the only way her body could relieve all of that held in stress and emotion. She buried her face into his neck and cried her poor little heart out. She had been very brave through it all and had carried herself like a strong queen, but now she just wanted to be held. She had gone far too long without any Mistoffelees affection and she was far too delicate to suffer it that long. She needed him, more than she had ever needed any other cat in her life.

Mistoffelees was completely taken aback by such a reaction to such a simple little truth, but his arms quickly found their way about her shuddering frame. He held her firmly to himself and closed his eyes, giving her soft nuzzles and purrs as he tried to console her. He had been so amazed that she hadn't broken down like that until just then. He had to fight back tears of his own as his mate cried so bitterly over the whole of the event. He hadn't meant to break her heart or appear so standoffish. That was the farthest thing from the truth. All the Conjuring Cat had wanted was their mateship to grow, not become so bent out of proportion that they had to escape from the 'yard in order to fix it. Yet, the removal of all distractions had truly helped.

The tuxedo tom gently leaned his back against the headboard, being extra gingerly in order not to squish her little paws that held onto his back as if he would dart away if she let go. He gave her head long and tender licks or soft little kisses. He wanted her to stop hurting and stop crying as soon as it was possible, but wasn't going to demand she stop, nor was he going to make her do so. Besides, he was rather loathe to let go of her, especially in this kind of state. He was her protector and he would be so dutifully, even if it was against himself and what he had done to her.

"I-I'm so sorry, R-Ruffles!" she blubbered with a terrible sobbing stutter, "I-I-I've m-missed you s-so m-m-much! I-I was h-h-hurting so b-bad that I a-assumed the w-worst! I kn-know you are the most f-f-faithful tom a q-queen could ask f-f-for! I-I just wanted you to h-hold m-m-me! I d-didn't mean to hurt y-you! I d-didn't m-mean to break your h-heart! I th-th-thought I w-was loosing you! I d-d-didn't know w-what else to think or do! I w-was so a-af-f-fraid of l-loosing you!"

"Shh," he chided with a slight break in his voice, "It's okay, my darling, it's okay! Misto's got you! Everything is going to be okay!"

"I a-a-almost r-ruined everyth-thing!" she sobbed into his chest, entirely torn up over so many events and raging emotions.

"No," he stated softly, nuzzling his cheek over her head and stroking his paws over her silky and soft back with such tender care it was almost as if he was handling a newborn kitten, "This is not your fault! We are both to blame for this and I am just as guilty of it as you are! I abandoned you when you needed me the most! I got too carried away with my career and I was being utterly selfish! It's not your fault you assumed the worst! I caused you to! Everything is going to be just fine now!"

"No, it's not!" she cried, resting her face into his chest ruffles and dampening them completely, "I hurt you! I-I've never h-hurt you, not like I did a-accusing you of ch-cheating! Y-You'll never t-trust me a-again!"

"Oh, Twinkle," he sighed, embracing her as closely to him as he could and bringing his knees up to where she was perfectly tucked into him in a neat little ball, "I'm okay now! You needn't fret! I'm a big grown tom! You're my little and gentle queen! If anyone hurt anyone, it was me! I'm the one who's sorry, you needn't be! I'm the one who neglected you!"

"But, I've m-made you f-feel like a f-failure!" she wailed against him, "I-I'm supposed to be y-your s-support! I'm supposed t-to a-accept your choices and b-be confident in you! I d-doubted y-you too m-much! I didn't t-trust you over n-nothing! I r-ruined our m-mateship! Y-You could never f-forgive me!"

"Hush, Twinkle, hush!" he told her gently, placing a single white finger upon her lips as a few empathetic tears fell down his features, "Don't blame yourself for this anymore! I still love you and I have forgiven you! There's no need to fret, no need to feel this way! I'm here for you now! Mistoffelees has got you, and I'm never letting go!"

Victoria quickly melted at those words and hastily snuggled up underneath his neck. She was so grieved for what had been and what could have been, it was overwhelming to her. The white queen silently thanked the Everlasting Cat for giving her such a husband that could forgive her. She, by no means, deserved such a gentle and caring tom. He was so talented and gifted, he always kept her so amazed! Of course, he was hardly perfect, but she had learned to live with and even love his imperfections.

She lay against him and drew comfort from him, sniffing against her still falling tears and letting out little coos of grief. She tried stifling them, but to no avail. This only caused Mistoffelees to hold onto her all the tighter with one arm as he used the other to stoke her. She felt so silly and desperate for his love, but she had no idea how else she should behave. The truth of how this entire situation was effecting her had finally come to surface. Instead of being irritable with her or chiding her, Mistoffelees was being entirely supportive. She was glad he understood how badly she needed to be held. He was her soul mate, her other half. She didn't want to nor couldn't continue on without him! She needed him more than she ever had before. She had become entirely dependent upon him and was absolutely lost without him.

"You are my rock, Stoff," she whispered against his neck through her tears, "I can't live this life without you!"

Poor Mr. Mistoffelees couldn't bear it anymore! In one fluid movement, he bent his head down towards her and met her lips with his. She, at first, was startled by such a sudden event and wasn't sure how to respond. His gentle coaxing, however, brought her back to the proper way to respond and she accepted a deepened kiss. She maneuvered in order to kiss him in a more comfortable position and was quickly greeted by a low and rumbling purr. He only reserved a purr such as that for when they were alone together. She couldn't help but smile at such a long forgotten sound. It was music to her sad and hurting heart.

Mistoffelees tenderly placed a paw underneath her chin and tilted it up a little farther as his other paw instinctively came to the small of her back. Once he was satisfied with the depth of their embrace, he traced his thumb along her jawline ever so delicately. He was still aware that it had been such a long time since she received any affection such as this and he was going to take it ever so slowly and cautiously. Besides, he had nowhere to rush off to when the sun came up and he was certainly loathe to hurry through this. He had months of damage left to repair and Victoria was worth it. He had also, admittedly, missed her affection for so long and wanted to be held just as badly as she did. He simply didn't want to voice it.

Victoria wrapped her arms all the tighter around his neck, almost as if she read his mind, and gave the space in between his shoulder blades a bit of a scratch, which he responded to with an uncontrollable shiver and an even deeper purr. She couldn't help but smile at such a reaction and a purr exuded from her as well. She had her tom right were she wanted him; in her arms. All of the doubts she had been struggling with quickly melted away as Mistoffelees became so tender and gentle with her, that she couldn't help but marvel that it was Mr. Mistoffelees behaving in such a way. He was a mild-mannered tom, that was true, but he was still a _tom_, no matter what his appearance or his etiquette. He had never been so loving and soft, yet so assured of what he was doing. She had missed this side of him the most, even though it seemed like it had grown during their time apart.

He withdrew his lips from hers, only to brush them against hers several times more. He finally sat up and she rested perfectly in his lap. She pulled back from him and waited until his eyes opened to curiously look at her. She gave him a small smirk and pulled him back to her as she fell back onto the bed. He couldn't help but smile in return.

They both took a moment to regain their breath, having completely forgotten that air was in fact necessary to breathe. While he was replenishing his air supply, Stoff bent over his purring mate and planted kisses over the whole of her physiognomy. She laughed softly and leaned into his butterfly kisses and licked the tip of his nose. He was amazed at how naturally all of this came to them, even though they had been so long without the love of the other.

Misto brought his lips back to hers and brushed them against hers a few times before whispering ever so softly, almost too softly:

"I love you,"

Victoria beamed at that and pulled his face as close as she possibly could to hers. She laced her fingers through his ruffles and he purred longer and louder than he had before. She knew it was his favourite spot and it always made him melt. He kissed her faster and a little more passionately. She was so loving and receptive, he simply could not help himself.

"Stoff?" Victoria whispered after she parted from him once more, only to have him kiss her a couple of times more.

"Yes?" he replied quietly and breathlessly as he gazed into her beautiful blue eyes.

"Could you hang the 'do not disturb' sign on the door?" she requested gently, running the one paw through his ruffles just a little bit longer, "I really don't want to be bothered by housekeeping later,"

In response, a slow smirk appeared on his face and turned itself into a very wide grin. He gave her one more kiss before rolling out of the bed, grabbing the aforementioned sign from the nightstand, thrusting the door open, lacing the sign upon the door's knob, closing the door with the ginger care he hadn't taken to open it with and leaping back into bed in record timing.

"Where were we?" he purred smoothly and she was not hesitant to remind him as she grabbed a first full of white chest fur and pulled him back down into a resumed kiss.

* * *

Several hours later, the sun was peaking over the horizon, but the young couple was not aware. The curtain was still drawn in their room and the room was completely pitch black. The Conjurer and Ballet Queen lay side by side, looking into each others eyes. Her arms were still coiled around his neck and he had a lazy arm draped over her side. Every so often his eyelids would become heavy and almost close, but he struggled against sleep. Resting would only cause him to become unaware of her and he was loathe to do so. He finally had his mate back!

"I love you," he slurred drowsily and he planted a kiss upon her nose, albeit a very sloppy kiss.

"I love you too, silly and wonderful tom," she purred in a whisper, returning his kiss in a more precise manner.

"Do you believe I'd never cheat on you?" he purred in reply as his eyes began to close only to snap back open as he realized he was drifting off to sleep.

"I could never doubt you again after a night like this," she mumbled and gave his lips a soft kiss, "Now, go to sleep, Mistoffelees. You are exhausted, I know you are,"

He slowly and tiredly shook his head and made a small negatory sound. He inched towards her and rested his head underneath her neck, his eyes closing as he did so. He took a deep breath in and sighed and his body went limp as he finally caved into sleep. Victoria laughed quietly as he did so, her smile growing even wider once he softly began to snore. She maneuvered her arms to a more comfortable position, the arm underneath his neck extended as she used the other to pet over his headfur for a moment. He mumbled happily and incoherently, snuggling into her form all the further.

Victoria gave his forehead a gentle kiss and licked over his limp and perfectly pointed ears. She was on the very doorstep of sleep as well, but wasn't quite ready to close her eyes and join her mate. She was rarely able to witness the sight of his being perfectly at peace and wanted to admire his handsome features as long as she could stand to be awake. His dark features against his perfectly stark face had always caught her admiration and she knew every line and every whisker. In her eyes, he was the handsomest cat she knew, both on the outside and the in. Even if he wasn't excessively tall or had perfectly chiseled features.

She gave a profoundly happy sigh and closed her eyes as she rested her chin atop his head. She sleepily wondered how soon it would take them to have kittens. A few hours earlier, they had both agreed they were ready for them after such an extended period of waiting. The oddest thing was, Victoria was almost certain she was pregnant already. She hadn't admitted anything to her mate, for she wasn't entirely positive, but she did have this uncanny feeling.

She yawned widely and tiredly as she wrapped her arms about him. She decided to wait a few weeks to be sure, but she would tell him of her suspicions as soon as she could. She also knew that if she wasn't yet, she would be very soon. For the time being, however, she was going to succumb to the sleep that her body so desperately craved.

She finally fell asleep, her dreams far better than they had been in the longest time. The pair couldn't have been more contented and they slept better than they ever had in six entire months of mateship. The perfect getaway lay ahead of them, and they would take advantage of every single moment of it.


End file.
